Uncharted: The Nathan Drake CollectionReview

The Uncharted series is one of the best action adventure franchises in recent gaming history, and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is the best way to play them today. These are lovingly handled remasters that bring out and preserve the beautiful art direction of the originals, and the upgrade to 60 frames per second lends even greater fluidity to all three Uncharted games’ already excellent gameplay. I only wish The Nathan Drake Collection presented itself more like a celebration of Naughty Dog’s great series rather than a simple bundle of three admittedly brilliant games.

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Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is now eight years old (read our original Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune review), but you'd be hard-pressed to notice here. Though it certainly can't pass as a native PS4 game, remaster developer Bluepoint has upgraded just enough so that Drake's first outing still has those visual "wow" moments, and the doubled frame rate alleviates the original PlayStation 3 version’s slightly sluggish aiming substantially.

Otherwise, there are no gameplay enhancements to speak of, besides the welcome lack of Sixaxis control elements. Despite the fact that its successors improved upon it in every imaginable way, Drake’s Fortune still feels like magic to play. Its play spaces feel ever so slightly constricted compared to the broader, more vertical designs of the later games, and I noticed a clunky character animation or two, but even by today's standards, it balances gunplay, platforming, and exploration with rare grace.

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Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is on a whole other level however. (Read our original Uncharted 2: Among Thieves review.) Even compared to many PlayStation 4 games, the urban ruins of Uncharted 2's Nepal are absolutely double-take worthy. There’s an unbelievable amount of detail among the dilapidated buildings and rusted hulks of cars that have long since stopped running, and this remaster really helps it all sing.

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Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is on a whole other level.

It's worth noting that though Bluepoint reportedly evened out the aiming mechanics for all three games, Among Thieves still feels half a step snappier than its predecessor, making its gunplay more immediate and enjoyable. Perfect pacing, excellent character banter, and incredible set pieces like the insane Nepal helicopter sequence make this the best game in the series.

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Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Finally, we have Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (read our original Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception review), a bigger, more narratively ambitious game than either of the previous two. It effectively delves deeper into Nate’s past, and his personal relationships, which are just as much a part of Uncharted’s success as its gameplay. Right from the start, its cinematography frames Uncharted 3 like a big budget Hollywood film, and the increased visual fidelity and improved textures and character models really help complete the cinematic feel that Drake’s Deception got so right the first time around.

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Sony’s flagship series deserves a bit more reverence than this package affords.

It might sound odd to complain that three beautiful versions of three excellent games is “all” you get in this package, but you’ll get little else from The Nathan Drake Collection. The new “Speed Run” mode is nothing but a timer in the corner, and along with the omission of the multiplayer modes from Uncharted 2 and 3 (which I honestly do not miss), there’s a surprising lack of supplemental materials. You won’t find any nice character bios, or concept art of the series’ many stunning locales here, which seems like a missed opportunity given how well Uncharted’s universe lends itself to such content (and seeing the treatment Rare Replay got earlier this year). Though not a huge deal, I think Sony’s flagship series deserves a bit more reverence than this package affords.

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The Verdict

Missing bells and whistles aside, these three exemplary games have never looked or played better than they do here, so whether you’ve played them before or not, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection should be in your library. These games have aged remarkably well, they’re still an absolute blast to play, and their characters are as charming and memorable as ever.